The 2024 College Football season is right around the corner. With the new 12-team playoff format, this season should be as entertaining as any season we’ve seen.
The new format might diminish the importance for teams to win their conference. And with the massive power-shift for the SEC and Big Ten, winning a conference championship will be a lot harder.
The SEC added powerhouse programs Texas and Oklahoma to their ranks while the Big Ten added Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington.
Adding Texas and Oklahoma to a conference with the likes of Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, and Missouri, among others, will make winning the SEC that much harder. It will be a dogfight week in and week out, and my guess is we could see a 3, or even 4-loss SEC team make the CFP with the new format.
The Big Ten adding four Pac-12 Teams, including powerhouse Oregon, to compete with the likes of Ohio State and Michigan will make for a better overall conference capable of competing with the SEC.
In previous years, the Big Ten has been decided by whoever wins “The Game” between Ohio State and Michigan in late November. The winner would inevitably beat whoever won the Big Ten West, whether it be an undermanned Wisconsin team or an Iowa team that can’t seem to find the endzone. Adding Oregon and Co. to the mix should make it more interesting.
I know it’s hard to keep track of who is in what conference at this point. After all, Rutgers (New Jersey) and USC (California) are in the same conference. However, at the end of the day all we care about are the winners, right? Let’s take a look at my predictions for each Power 4 conference championship game matchup, and who will win.
ACC
Conference Championship Game: Florida State Seminoles vs. NC State Wolfpack
Winner: Florida State Seminoles
After being questionably omitted from the CFP last year, despite being undefeated, Florida State should return to the ACC Championship game this year. And they should win, for the second year in a row. The Seminoles replace Jordan Travis with Oregon State transfer, and previous Clemson QB, DJ Uiagalelei.
The three other teams in consideration for the championship game are NC State, Clemson, and Miami. The reason I chose NC State over the other two is because both Clemson and Miami play Florida State in the regular season, and NC State does not. I’m chalking those up as losses for Clemson and Miami.
NC State will travel to Death Valley on September 21st to face Clemson. If they win, they should be favorably positioned to make the ACC Championship game, where I think they lose to FSU.
Big 12
Conference Championship Game: Utah Utes vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Winner: Utah Utes
The new-look Big 12 will have a conference championship game between a new member and an old member in Utah vs. Kansas State. If Utah QB Cam Rising, who can’t seem to escape injury, stays healthy, Utah should run the Big 12 this year.
Utah’s toughest conference game should be 9/21 @ Oklahoma State, who made the Big 12 Championship game last year. Kansas State’s three toughest conference games – Arizona, Kansas & Oklahoma State – all come at home for the Wildcats.
Big Ten
Conference Championship Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Oregon Ducks
Winner: Oregon Ducks
With Michigan having to replace much of what won them the 2023 National Championship, it should be no surprise that they aren’t in consideration to win the Big Ten this year. Michigan will face teams ranked 2-4 in ESPN’s Post-Spring Top 25: #2 Ohio State, #3 Texas and #4 Oregon. Although the Texas game won’t affect their standing in the Big Ten, it could affect Michigan’s morale and confidence.
Ohio State and Oregon are both the clear cut 1A and 1B teams in the Big Ten. Ohio State replaced QB Kyle McCord with Kansas State transfer Will Howard, added Safety Caleb Downs from Alabama and hired former UCLA HC Chip Kelly as their new OC.
Oregon, in their first year in the Big Ten, replaced QB Bo Nix with Oklahoma transfer and Heisman hopeful Dillon Gabriel. They also added Texas A&M transfer WR Evan Stewart and bolstered their secondary with Washington S transfer Jabbar Muhammed.
Oregon and Ohio State will meet in Eugene on 10/12 and Oregon will win that game along with a rematch on 12/7 in Indianapolis. Dillon Gabriel will outplay Will Howard in both matches and Dan Lanning will do in the Big Ten what he couldn’t do in the Pac-12: win a conference championship.
SEC
Conference Championship Game: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Texas Longhorns
Winner: Texas Longhorns
The SEC is the most top-heavy conference in the country, and the best overall conference in the country. Five of the top ten teams in ESPN’s Post-Spring Top 25 are from the SEC: #1 Georgia, #3 Texas, #6 Ole Miss, #7 Alabama and #8 Missouri. Not to mention LSU at #14 and Tennessee at #15.
Georgia might have one of the toughest schedules in the SEC, with games @Alabama, @Texas and @Ole Miss, as well as home games against Auburn and Tennessee. With the return of starting QB and Heisman hopeful Carson Beck, however, the Bulldogs should be primed to return to the SEC Championship game for the fourth straight year.
As Sharpshooter’s resident Longhorn fan, I would be doing them an injustice by not including them in the SEC Championship Game. Not only that, I do believe the Longhorns will, in their first year in the SEC, beat Georgia in the conference championship game.
Texas will play 3 true conference road games this year: @Vanderbilt, @Arkansas @Texas A&M. Although two of three are renewal games of storied Texas football rivalries (Arkansas / A&M), their toughest conference games will be 10/12 against Oklahoma and the following week, 10/19, at home against Georgia.
After last year’s disappointing last-second loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, I believe Texas will bounce back this year and beat Oklahoma. However, the highs of them beating their bitter rival will result in a loss the following week to Georgia.
The Longhorns will rematch against the Bulldogs and will upset them to win the SEC Championship in their first season in the conference.
